Hourglass is one of those brands that causes a frenzy of excitement every time they release a new product. Add in a whisper of the words limited-edition and beauty-obsessives far and wide immediately reach for their purses, no questions asked. It may sound a bit OTT, but their products are so worth the hype that I can totally understand the buzz that their makeup line generates. Out of their entire range, the beautiful, exclusive palettes that are released at Christmas time are by far their most coveted. Most recently, we've all been caught up in a flurry of eager anticipation for the Hourglass Surreal Light Ambient Lighting Edit to hit the shelves and yes, it really is as good as it looks.

If you haven't sampled the delights of Hourglass's face powders before, then you're missing out. For me, they're the absolute stand-out products in the luxe brand's collection. Known for their amazing ability to impart a lit-from-within radiance thats undetectable on the skin, there's no other brand that has even come close to producing powders as flattering. Guaranteed to create a believably natural illumination, they'll never let you down whenever you fancy ramping up the glow factor.

They never leave you covered in chunky flecks of glitter, never blend out to a patchy mess and never powder down the skin to the point it looks dry or chalky. Being heavy-handed and applying too much of these powders is impossible. Effortlessly, they even-out the skin tone, blur imperfections and leave the skin with an almost airbrushed, ethereal finish. Honestly, they're magic. As soon as I purchased one, I purchased another and the pattern just seemed to keep repeating itself. Now, there's never a week when I don't have at least one finishing powder, blush, highlighter or bronzer of their's in my makeup bag.

As I'm such a fan of the Ambient Lighting formula, I've bought all of Hourglass's previous palette releases, except for the edit released last year. I had the majority of the shades included already, so it seemed wasteful to buy it, no matter how tempted I was. So, when this season's offering was announced, I was especially excited to hear that it would be jam-packed full of exclusives. Straight away, I knew I had to have it. It's only a bonus that the case has a marbled finish, even if doesn't feel that luxurious due to being so lightweight!

The Surreal Light Edit consists of one finishing powder, two blushes, one bronzer and a highlighting powder. For anyone who travels a lot, likes all-in-one options or is simply addicted to all things Hourglass, then this palette is the one. Currently, all of these shades are only available within this palette, but fingers crossed a few, if not all all, make the permanent collection. Sometimes the quality of palettes can be questionable, compared to the individual versions of products included, but these powders are just as silky, smooth and easily blend-able as the originals.

The tones in the palette are perfect for my taste, but a couple of the shades could lean too warm for very fair complexions. Overall, though, it's definitely more suited to lighter skin-tones. I know quite a few bloggers with olive complexions or darker have commented that the shades don't show up too well on their skin, so definitely bear that in mind if you're thinking of purchasing. As always, I'd recommend swatching the shades in person if possible, before taking the plunge.

The shades that make up the Surreal Light palette are:

Surreal Light Powder - A sheer, peachy nude finishing powder that adds a soft-focus, candle-lit glow to the skin.Surreal Bronze Light - A neutral tan bronzer fused with the Surreal Light powder, for a soft, subtle warmth.Surreal Glow - A pale peony pink blush swirled with Surreal Light for a delicate, neutral flush of colour.Surreal Effect - A cool pink rose fused with a warm orange/peach blush for a pop of flattering colour.Surreal Strobe Light - A glimmering peach highlight for an alluring radiance. This is quite a warm-toned highlight, so may be too dark used as a highlight on alabaster skin-tones.

Just a warning, if you haven't seen the Ambient Lighting Edits in person, then you may not expect them to be quite so miniature (the larger pan holds 0.14oz of product and the smaller four pans only hold 0.04oz each). The compact size is especially hard to swallow when the palette is priced at a whopping £69. As you get so little product, this palette doesn't work out as amazing value, but it makes a great introduction for anyone wanting to dip their toe into the brand and try a nice selection of powders, without having to buy the full-sizes.

Even at an eye-watering price, these palettes are always bound to sell like hot cakes, so it's best to snap them up quickly to guarantee that you get your hands on one. Last year's edit sold out so quickly, had a quick resurrection during the summer and then finally disappeared for good after selling out everywhere once again! Basically, act fast to avoid disappointment, particularly if you want to buy one as a Christmas gift!

Thanks so much! It's so frustrating that the shades are all relatively light and won't necessarily show up well enough on darker skin to make it a worthwhile purchase, isn't it? It would be amazing if they brought out a few palettes aimed at different skin-tones, but unfortunately brands are always more interested in making money, rather than catering for everyone! x

Ooh this is such a little beauty, I have never splurged on one of the palettes yet as they are quite pricey and I have so many other blushers/bronzers in my collection. The packaging is absolutely stunning though and I love the shade selection x

They do cost a fortune, but I've picked a few of them up as they're so perfect for travelling. I'm also guaranteed to get a tonne of use out of them as they're some of my favourite powder formulas. I tend to avoid the palettes that contain a lot of shades I already have, but this one was full of new, limited-edition shades, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! x

Exactly! There's no other powders that even compare for me (that I've tried, anyway). I think once you apply them on your own face and see how much of a difference they make, then the higher price tag is more justifiable x

The shades are definitely a lot less similar in person, but they are all on the peachy/champagne/golden spectrum. I personally love that though, as it means all the shades compliment each other and I only need to use the one palette x

I know, it's such a shame that the pans don't hold more product. I couldn't resist picking it up after hearing that all the shades were brand new, though and they are some of my favourite powders by a long way! x

It is frustratingly expensive, but if you manage to pick it up when there's a voucher code floating around (I purchased mine when Space NK had £15 off a £60 spend), then it's not as much of a blow to your bank account! x

Every palette they release is just incredible, isn't it?! I managed to resist purchasing the edit that came out last year, but I ordered this one straight away when I read that it was full of limited-edition shades! x

The Ambient Lighting Palettes always look amazing! I love my Ambient Lighting palette. I use the powders alone & as blusher/bronzer toppers. There are so many effects you can create this way. I think for this reason, I'd rather invest in more of the powders before buying the blushes & bronzers, but I can totally see the appeal of having the blusher or bronzer created for you. Xx